Pages

Coney Island

Coney Island, once known as Pulau Serangoon, is now the new favourite haunt for biking and nature enthusiasts.

Located just off the northeastern tip of mainland Singapore, it is more convenient to access the island via the connecting bridge from Punggol Point Park to reach the island's West Entrance.

Driving along the narrow winding road to Punggol Point Park...

It's quite deserted, but there's a bus service 84 that goes all the way to Punggol Point Park/Punggol Settlement.

There are limited free parking lots in the area, but there are quite a few other parking spaces behind Punggol Settlement, if you don't mind paying a little parking fees.

The stretch of boardwalk along Punggol Settlement is a nice spot to take pictures. :)

The girl and the sea.

My sister loves this picture so much it's now her display pic.

Try experimenting with different angles and backdrops!

On the day of our visit, the weather wasn't exactly very favourable. We were caught in the midst of a shower right after we rented our bicycles from Punggol Settlement.

Bike rentals aren't exactly cheap. If you live near the area and cycle often, I would recommend investing in your own bike and bringing it down.

Single bike: $8/hr for students and senior citizens on weekdays.

$10/hr on weekends.

$16 or $20/3hrs for package deal

Tandem bike: $15/hr (without backrest) and $18/hr (with backrest)

$30 or $32/3hrs for package deal

Thank goodness the rain stopped while we were cycling within the island or it would be a tough job maintaining our balance on their sandy paths. However, the rain started again right after we left the island, and cut short our cycle along the park connector.

Many cyclists zoomed past us along the way...

The pristine island still preserves its rustic charm and the towering Casuarina trees by the side of the paths would make you feel as if you were transported to a place where Korean dramas were filmed.

Though the island is said to be the size of 45 football fields, the main path from the West to East Entrance is only 2.4km long. If you cycle, it would take about 20 minutes at most from one end of the island to the other. An hour of bike rental would be more than sufficient for you to snap photos and explore the entire island

If you're feeling more adventurous, do take the side paths to explore the bird hides (you can probably spot some exotic birds in their natural habitat), and cycle down the boardwalk that cuts through the mangrove swamps. I didn't manage to spot the famous Coney Island cow, wild boars or any otters. Perhaps they were all hiding in their shelters after the shower.

Coney Island has quite a few tiny beach pockets but it's not very wise to head over there for there are rather severe sandflies infestations. (Sandfly bites hurt majorly. Do stay away from there for your own sake.)

There is only one toilet in the entire island, all the way at the East entrance, so do remember to empty your bladders before embarking on your journey!

The West Entrance had way too many people, so we headed to the East Entrance (that leads to some ulu road in Pasir Ris industrial area) to take the mandatory Coney Island gate shot.

My sis and I on the baby pink tandem bike!

Coney with mah homies. #1, #2, #3.

As there are no streetlights or electricity supply in the island (and shelters are really scarce and tiny), it's best to leave Coney before dark and exit it when it's about to rain.

It's not fun being stuck out in the open in a storm, with wind and rain whipping into your face and a tiny umbrella just barely sheltering you from the merciless torrents. Not to mention it's freaking hard navigating your way through rocky paths on a bike, with an umbrella in hand, and struggling to keep your balance single-handedly, all the while squinting through the curtain of rain. (Speaking from personal experience here.)

Coney Island is an idyllic place for outdoor exploration with friends (provided that they are nature lovers, sporty and the weather is good). I wouldn't mind another trip there when it's sunny and warm. :)